Voortrekker And Identity.

by Chris Kamalski

I thought Barbara’s most recent post on our Pangani blog site is a fantastic commentary on the complex nature of identity and cultural perspective on history.  Read the full post by clicking here:

A clip:

Any national or cultural identity by necessity takes a certain pride in its heritage and history.  But there is always a darker side to any history–no culture or nation is completely blameless!  Navigating the darker parts of any history while still retaining pride and cultural identity is a challenge.  These are not easy questions to answer, especially here where so many cultures have clashed and mistreated each other throughout the history of the country.  And I suppose that’s one of the main reasons we introduce visitors to the Voortrekker Monument (as well as the Apartheid Museum, as well as the township of Soshanguve…)–to wrestle with these questions and try to understand the stories and histories that make up South Africa.